Rockets Land Ariza & Valuable First Round Pick

HOUSTON – Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has completed a three-team deal with Washington and New Orleans. The Rockets will receive Trevor Ariza in a sign-and-trade from Washington, as well as Alonzo Gee, Scotty Hopson, and a valuable 2015 protected first round draft pick from New Orleans. This first round draft pick is a near guaranteed lottery pick structured like the Toronto Raptors first round pick that was the key to the James Harden trade. The Rockets will send center Omer Asik and forward Omri Casspi, and cash considerations to New Orleans.

Ariza (6-8 220, UCLA), ranks in the top five NBA players at his position in three-pointers made, three-point percentage, steals, and effective field goal percentage. He spent the last two seasons in Washington averaged 14.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game last season. Ariza had a career-high 40 points on March 1, 2014 including eight made 3-pointers in a 122-103 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. He improved his three-point shooting to 40.7% in the 2013-14 season, ranking him the 16th best three-point shooter in the league. Ariza had 126 steals last season, which ranks 13th in the NBA and is ranked 12th in effective field goal percentage with 56.2%. In his first stint with Houston, Ariza averaged 14.9 points and 5.6 rebounds in 77 games with the Rockets during the 2009-10 season. During that season, he registered his first triple-double of his career with 26 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds vs New Orleans on April 14, 2010.

Gee (6-6, 225, Alabama) spent the past three seasons in Cleveland, averaging 7.9 points and 3.6 rebounds over the course of his five year NBA career. He went undrafted in the 2009 NBA draft and began his career in the D-League with the Austin Toros.

Hopson (6-7, 204, Tennessee) went undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft. He spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons overseas playing in Israel and Turkey. He signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 31, 2014 and spent time with the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers D-League affiliate.

Asik (7-0, 255, Turkey) averaged 7.9 points and 9.8 rebounds in 130 games (101 starts) over his two seasons with the Rockets.

Casspi (6-9, 225, Israel) averaged 6.9 points and 3.7 rebounds in 71 games (2 starts) in his only season with the Rockets.

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